Pain in Left Side Under Ribs: Causes

It is natural to worry about pain in the left side under your ribs because of the possibility it is related to your heart. Sharp, stabbing, or squeezing pains under your left rib cage can be due to conditions of your internal organs, ribcage, or cardiovascular system. Pain on the left side under your rib cage that is cardiac related feels like intense pressure on your left chest that spreads to your arm. Even though most of the time left-sided pain under your ribs isn’t to do with your heart, you should never ignore any kind of chest pain.

Your left rib cage protects many vital organs like your heart, left lung, left kidney, and your spleen. Any medical condition affecting those organs can result in varying degrees of pain from a dull ache to sore jabbing pains that come and go. Also, digestive conditions like constipation or heartburn can cause aching pains in the left side under your ribs. Sometimes, pain from the left side of your rib cage can radiate to your back, upper abdomen, or shoulder.

Because the exact causes of pain under your left rib cage can be hard to diagnose, it’s important to pay attention to all of your symptoms. For example, sharp pains can be accompanied by burning sensation in your chest, tenderness around the painful area, or nagging aches that are worse when moving.

In this article, you will learn about why you may be having pain in the left side under your ribs. In some cases, you will find out ways to get rid of the pain. I will also answer the question: when left side chest pain is serious enough to visit a doctor.

Symptoms of Pain in Left Side Under Rib Cage

Pain under your left rib cage can occur anywhere in your upper chest, upper abdomen, or the left side of your upper back.

According to doctors from the Mayo Clinic, some of the symptoms of pain under your left ribs can be any of the following:

Sharp pains in the center of your chest due to breastbone inflammation.

Jabbing piercing pains on one side of your chest or the other side caused by pneumonia or a collapsed lung.

Inflammation of the muscles in your rib cage causing discomfort.

A crushing sensation under your left rib cage due to heart conditions.

Tenderness and possibly bruising caused by injury to your ribs.

A sensation of a sour taste in your mouth with a burning sensation in the middle of your chest.

Heart-Related Causes of Pain in Left Side Under Ribs

Pain in the left side under your ribs can be a symptom of serious medical conditions with your heart. Let’s look first of all at types of left-sided chest pain you should never ignore.

Heart attack

A heart attack can start as a dull pain under the left rib cage and become more intense until it feels like a heavy weight is pressing on your chest. Because your heart is located on the left side of your chest, heart attack pain usually affects the left side under your ribs.

Heart attacks happen when not enough oxygen-rich blood reaches the heart due to a blockage in your arteries. Doctors from the National Health Service say that a high-fat diet, smoking, high blood pressure, or being overweight puts you a greater risk of coronary heart disease.

Dr. Melissa Conrad Stöppler on MedicineNet explains that a heart attack feels like squeezing pressure in the center or left side of the chest. The sensation of fullness in the chest usually spreads to the left arm, jaw, and neck. You may also have upper back and rib pain.3

Other heart attack symptoms you shouldn’t ignore include:

Shortness of breath (dyspnea)

Nausea and belching

Feeling of a burning sensation in your chest (heartburn-like pain)

Sweating and chills without a fever.

Making a few simple lifestyle changes can greatly reduce your risk of a heart attack. Regular exercising, getting and maintaining a healthy weight, and cutting out unhealthy fat from your diet all benefit your heart’s health.

Angina

Another heart-related cause of upper left side squeezing pain under the ribs is angina.

Angina describes a cardiovascular disease where not enough blood gets to your heart. Angina heart pain usually occurs after physical activity or stress because the heart has to work harder to pump blood in your body.

According to doctors from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, angina pain usually starts in the middle of the chest behind the breastbone. It can spread to the left side of the chest, arm, and also cause shoulder pain. In cases of unstable angina, severe squeezing pains in the chest can start suddenly and may lead to a heart attack.4

Other symptoms of stable angina include:

Feelings of nausea and vomiting

Shortness of breath

Dizziness or lightheadedness

General weakness

Chest pain that lasts less than 5 minutes and eases with rest

Doctors advise that you shouldn’t ignore angina pain if resting doesn’t make the pain better. You should call a doctor immediately, especially if the chest pain comes on suddenly.

Pericarditis

One cause of sudden sharp pains on the left side under your ribs is pericarditis. Doctors say that pericarditis is inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart. This is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection or an autoimmune disorder. Pericarditis usually causes the following symptoms:5

Sharp unexpected pains on the left side under the ribs or in the middle of the chest

Other Causes of Pain in Left Side Under Rib Cage

Many times, pain that feels as if it is coming from under your left rib cage is actually a problem related to your ribs.

Rib Fracture or bruised rib, injured or pulled chest muscles

Fracturing or breaking a rib can cause pain under left rib cage when breathing and also be to blame for other painful symptoms.

Blunt trauma to your ribs from falling or being in an accident can cause varying degrees of rib pain depending on the extent of the injury. Doctors from the Victoria State Government say that damage to the muscles and ligaments that support your ribs can also be a source of left-sided or right-sided rib pain. You may also experience any of the following symptoms after a rib fracture:

Tenderness and pain at the injury site

Pain when moving your upper body or breathing in deeply

Intercostal muscle spasm (the muscles between your ribs)

Difficulty breathing

Intercostal muscle strain

The intercostal muscles are located between your ribs and wrap around to your chest, and they also provide strength to your upper body and rib cage. Overstretching your arms or other injuries can strain your intercostal muscles in the left side of the rib cage resulting in mild to sharp rib pain. The pain can also wrap around the ribs causing pain in the left side of back under ribs.

Dr. Jack McPhilemy from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine says that spraining, overstretching, or tearing your intercostal muscles can cause pain on one side of your chest. Depending on the extent of the muscle sprain or tear, you may find that moving your right or left arm or upper body is very painful. The one-sided chest pain can also occur when stretching, coughing, or sneezing.7

To get rid of pain on the left side that intercostal muscle strain causes, you should use the same home remedies for healing a rib injury.

Inflammation of breastbone (Costochondritis)

Costochondritis is inflammation of the breastbone (sternum) that can result in sudden sharp pains on the left side under your ribs. Sternum pain can be caused by chest infections or minor traumas to your breastbone. Costochondritis pain can be constant and persistent, or it can come and go in varying levels of intensity.

According to doctors from WebMD, the typical symptoms of costochondritis are pain on the left side under your ribs or on the front of your chest. Usually, you can tell costochondritis pain apart from cardiac pain because the breastbone will be tender when pressure is applied. Pain may be worse when breathing in deeply. Pain in Left Side Under Ribs, Pain Causes, Symptoms of Pain, Heart attack

Pain Under Ribs in the Left Side Due to Internal Organs

Medical conditions related to your kidneys, spleen, or lungs can also result in dull aches or sharp throbbing pains under your left rib cage.

Kidney stones

Kidney stones in your left kidney can result in sudden sharp pain in the left side under ribs. In fact, the left-sided flank pain in the back or abdomen can be so intense that it is debilitating.

Your kidneys are located in the thoracic area of your back under your ribs. Dr. Minesh Khatri on WebMD says that kidney stones can cause intense pain below the ribs or severe flank pain. If the kidney stone moves, it can cause sharp abdominal pain that spreads to your groin. Other symptoms of kidney stones can include:

Sharp pain under your ribs that comes and goes

Burning pain when you urinate

Throbbing pains that seem to move around your abdominal region

Cramping spasms when the kidney stone moves

Pain in the left side of back under ribs

Pneumonia

Respiratory chest infections can cause pneumonia which results in pain under left rib cage when breathing or coughing. Doctors from the Mayo Clinic say that the symptoms of pneumonia can range from mild to severe and can even become life-threatening. The most common pneumonia symptoms include:

Pain under your ribs when you breathe

A cough that brings up mucus

Signs of an infection like fever, chills, and sweating

Nausea or vomiting

Digestive upset

Pleurisy

Pleurisy can also affect your left lung or right lung and result in one-sided pain below your ribs. Dr. George Schiffman, who is an expert in pulmonary disorders, says that the main symptom of pleurisy is chest pains that intensify when breathing. The inflammation may also cause back pain and spread to the shoulders.

Collapsed lung

Dr. John Cunha on eMedicineHealth says that trauma or injury to your chest, smoking, or a complication of a disease can cause a lung to collapse. This causes sharp, stabbing pains in the left or right side depending on which lung is affected. Pneumothorax (collapsed lung) can become a life-threatening condition and requires emergency treatment